Fishing & Ice Fishing
Fishing & Ice Fishing — Two Small Lakes, and a Cabin to Come Back To
Fishing season
Our resort sits between two small, secluded lakes — Hoot Owl Lake (83.6 acres) and Pickerel Lake — near Waubun, Minnesota, and if what you're after is a quiet day on the water, they suit that well.
Every cabin rental includes a 14-foot aluminum boat with oars, or dock space for your own boat if you'd rather bring it. We have 6 HP motors available to rent. In season — Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day — we sell live bait right here at the resort, and we sell 91-octane fuel and bagged ice to the public year-round.
Both lakes are stocked by the White Earth Tribal group. For what's in each lake — species, survey data, lake maps — we link the Minnesota DNR's LakeFinder on our Sportsman Information page rather than making claims of our own, because the DNR's numbers are the honest ones to go by. We'll tell you plainly: these are small lakes, and we like them that way. They're not a big-water fishery, and they're not the place to come expecting one. They're the place to come when you want the lake mostly to yourself.
Ice fishing
Winter fishing here is simple, and we want to describe it exactly the way it is so the right people find us.
We do not have ice shelters or fish houses — please don't come expecting one. Ice fishing at Hoot Owl is bring-your-own gear, on two small lakes, with your cabin as your shelter and base camp. You fish, you come back in and warm up, eat something hot out of your own full kitchen, and go back out when you're ready. A lot of our winter fishermen tell us that's the part they like best.
What you won't find here is an ice city. Our lakes are small — there's comfortable room for about three or four fishermen on each lake, with space to spread out. That's the whole appeal: it's quiet, it's uncrowded, and nobody is drilling a hole twenty feet from yours. If you're looking for rows of houses and a crowd, one of the big lakes will suit you better, and we'd rather say that now than have you disappointed later. If you're looking for a small lake, your own space, and a warm cabin a short walk from the ice, you'll fit right in here.
A warm-cabin note: our onsite sauna is new for 2026, and it gets used a lot after a day on the ice.
For ice conditions and fishing regulations, check the DNR before you come — ice is never something to take someone else's word for, including ours.
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide ice shelters or fish houses?
No, we don't — that's the one question we get most, so we'll be clear about it. Bring your own gear and portable if you use one. What we provide is the cabin: warm, with a full kitchen, right here at the lake.
How big are the lakes?
Small. Hoot Owl Lake is 83.6 acres, and Pickerel Lake is in the same class. In winter there's room for about three or four fishermen per lake to spread out comfortably. Quiet and uncrowded is the honest description.
Are the lakes stocked?
Yes — both lakes are stocked by the White Earth Tribal group. For current species and survey information, check the DNR's LakeFinder (linked from our Sportsman Information page). We don't bill these lakes as a destination for any one species; they're small-lake fishing, and that's how we describe them.
Is a boat included?
Yes — every cabin rental includes a 14-foot aluminum boat with oars, or dock space for your own boat. Six HP motors are available to rent, and we sell live bait in season (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day).
